Since planting seeds as a kid with her grandma, Debbie Millman’s fascination with gardening has always been rooted in awe and wonder. And, as a native New Yorker, Debbie has gotten creative on how and what it means to have a garden.

With beautiful illustrations, images, and words, Love Letter to a Garden is a celebration of gardening in all its forms and the lessons it can teach us along the way. No matter where you live, you can find a way to participate in cultivating life and beauty. 

And, even for wannabe gardeners like myself, Roxane’s recipes are a celebration of fresh ingredients and the people who grow our food. The shaved carrot salad was delicious and so summery! 

“As I’ve gotten older I’ve become less comfortable doing anything I’m not good at. I worry I’ll look ridiculous and embarrass myself. As I came face to face with the fact that I was not a good gardener, I realized it was time to ask for help. Maybe—just maybe—I could learn something new.”

“Despite their many differences, the flora live side by side without much rancor.”

“I’m so very lucky; I get to watch things live and grow and fade away. When I fail, I get to try again.”

What have you learned about yourselves and each other through the joint effort of maintaining a garden and cooking what the garden gives you?

Debbie: I’ve learned about patience, as I’ve witnessed the time it takes to grow a garden. I’ve learned about generosity, as I’ve tried to evolve my mindset from one of scarcity to abundance, and I learned that there is always more to learn (and this is not a bad thing). And I learned this about Roxane: there is absolutely no limit to her patience and amusement with my own impatience at trying to make things perfect.

Roxane: The garden has been Debbie’s labor of love, and it is amazing to witness how she takes seeds and soil, sun and water, and makes a beautiful bounty from it. I’m the cook in our family, so to be able to, in the summer, just walk outside and get fresh herbs, fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, has been such an unexpected pleasure. Everything just tastes better, knowing it’s from my wife’s hands.

To someone starting a garden, venturing into cooking, or learning something new for the first time, what advice would you give them?

Debbie: To start a garden: READ. Read as many books and websites as you can about growing whatever you hope to grow. Learn from the people that know a lot about gardening: Alice Vincent, Charlotte Harris, Martha Stewart, Alice Waters. Watch HGTV and witness what other people do, both good and bad. Accept you will likely (and sadly) kill a lot of plants. Forgive yourself your failings and keep digging.

Roxane: My main advice to someone trying to start cooking is to not be intimidated. It’s okay to make mistakes. Sometimes, you get a step wrong. Sometimes, a recipe doesn’t work out. But these things are never catastrophic. It’s just food. You can recover, and the next time, it will always be better. Cooking, when not an obligation, is just so much fun, and I always try to remember that. I choose it.

Gardening is both a very literal act as well as a powerful metaphor for patience, trust, and growth. What is a non-literal seed you are planting now that you hope will one day grow into a beautiful garden?

Debbie: The non-literal seed I am planting now that I hope will one day grow into a beautiful garden is creating a new home with Roxane that we make together: every room, every garden, every day. The sooner, the better.

Roxane: Debbie and I recently took ownership of The Rumpus, one of the publications where I got my start, and it’s a real full circle moment. Now we get to work together on how to nurture this longstanding publication and grow it into something even stronger than it already is.